Space station trash removal system

Abstract

A trash removal system for space stations has a disposable trash bag member and an attached, compacted large, lightweight inflatable balloon element. When the trash bag member is filled, the astronaut places the bag member in space through an airlock. Once in the vacuum of space, the balloon element inflates. Due to a large cross-sectional area of the balloon element relative to its mass, the combined balloon element and the trash bag member are slowed by atmospheric drag to a much greater extent than the Space Station. The balloon element and bag member lose altitude and re-enter the atmosphere and the elements and contents are destroyed by aerodynamic heating.

I claim: 
     
       1. A trash disposal system for space operations including a bag member constructed and arranged from a heat destructible material to contain waste materials generated in a spacecraft;   an airlock contained in the spacecraft;   a compacted balloon element attached to said bag member, said compacted balloon element being compacted so as to entrap a gas in the folds of the balloon element;   releasable means for retaining said balloon element in a compacted condition in a spacecraft;   said balloon element being expandable to an inflated condition upon expansion of the entrapped gas when released from a spacecraft through the airlock, said balloon element in an inflated condition having a volume relative to the combined mass of balloon and bag member, said volume relative to mass being sufficient for inducing atmospheric drag to slow said balloon and bag member relative to the spacecraft and separate the balloon and bag member from the spacecraft and for accelerating re-entry of said balloon and bag member into the atmosphere for destruction by aerodynamic heating.   
     
     
       2. The system as set forth in claim 1 and further including a metalized coating on said balloon element for space tracking purposes. 
     
     
       3. The system as set forth in claim 1 including vent holes in said bag member. 
     
     
       4. A method of trash disposal from a spacecraft where the spacecraft carries an inflatable balloon element attached to a trash bag member, the method comprising: compacting the balloon element so as to entrap gas within the folds of the compacted balloon element, the entrapped gas being sufficient in quantity to inflate the balloon element in the vacuum of space to a desired volume;   constraining the balloon element against inflation prior to deployment;   placing trash to be disposed into trash bag member;   closing off the trash bag member prior to disposal;   releasing the constraint on balloon element;   exposing the trash bag member and attached balloon element to the vacuum of space;   releasing the trash bag member and attached balloon element through an air lock in a direction opposite to the velocity vector of the spacecraft;   allowing the entrapped gas to inflate the balloon element to a volume having sufficient atmospheric drag to slow the velocity of the trash bag member and attached balloon element relative to the spacecraft and separate the trash bag member and balloon element from the spacecraft.